00:00The Prime Minister says Lebanon was absolutely part of this deal. Israel says it wasn't.
00:05Do we run the risk now of Israel jeopardising the ceasefire?
00:10And can the US, do you think, with a global perspective, rein in Israel and bring them back into the
00:16fold here?
00:18Well, as I said, I think that Israel's interest in this respect diverges from that of the United States.
00:23Israel, since the day after the 7th of October, has basically pursued a strategy.
00:30In a sense, it's a kind of almost a military doctrine of permanent war in the Middle East.
00:36And whether this is genocide in Gaza, ethnic cleansing the West Bank, war and occupation in Lebanon,
00:44southwest Syria, attacks in Yemen, attacks in Iraq, and, of course, war in Iran,
00:49we have basically, this has been a constant for Israel over the course of the last years.
00:55So I think, or maybe I should qualify, I don't necessarily think this is Israel's interest,
01:00but it's certainly Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister's interest.
01:04And, of course, as we know, he is facing election, re-election this year.
01:09So I think his interest will be that of, in some shape or form, continuing this war.
01:15Now, he doesn't have the ability of going after Iran alone, right?
01:22And we have always seen the way in which he has tried to drag the United States in.
01:26Now, if the United States does not want to, at this point in time at least, pursue and continue war
01:32with Iran,
01:33the only available option for Netanyahu to continue a state of permanent war in the region is through Lebanon.
01:40And, as I said, in the same way as Iran has pursued an asymmetric strategy in drawing in the Gulf,
01:47Israel, I think, is trying to do likewise by drawing in Lebanon.
01:51And through Lebanon, indirectly bringing the United States into a war in Iran,
01:56which is really what I think it is interested in.
01:59Now, is it going to succeed in doing so?
02:01Who knows?
02:02So far, the Israeli Prime Minister has been singularly effective in manipulating the United States president.
02:11You
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